Number of patients active on organ transplant waiting list in Spain 2017-2021

Kidneys were the most common organ that transplant patients were waiting for in Spain in 2021. Approximately 6.9 thousand patients were on the organ transplant waiting list for a kidney, followed by far by patients that were on the list for a liver, who amounted to over 1.6 thousand. In 2021, the latest figures reveal that 45 patients died while they were waiting for their liver transplant in the European country.

Kidneys are the most common transplanted organ in Spain

Kidney transplantation was the most common organ transplant in Spain in 2021, with approximately three thousand procedures. Doctors also performed a total of approximately 1.1 thousand liver transplants, 302 heart transplants, 362 lung transplants, 82 pancreas transplants and seven intestinal transplants. Organ donation can be given through both a deceased and living donor if blood and oxygen are flowing through the organs until the time of recovery to ensure viability.

Spain: leader in organ donation

In 2021, Spain had the highest rate of deceased donors in Europe. The rate of organ donation, including donation after brain death (DBD) and after cardiac death (DCD), was 40.8 per million population. Portugal and Croatia followed, with 29.6 and 29.5 donors per million population, respectively. Romania and Bulgaria, on the other hand, were the European countries with the lowest rate of deceased organ donors that year.